Skip to content
The Girl With A Camera
Contact
← Journal

Tokyo center: Akihabara, Jimbocho, Ochanomizu, Tokyo Station, Otemachi and Kagurazaka

  • Tokyo, Japan
  • September 2026

The center of Tokyo in June 2026: film cameras in Akihabara, the bookshops of Jimbocho in the rain, the guitar street of Ochanomizu, Tokyo Station, the office towers of Otemachi, and the alleys of Kagurazaka.

Tokyo center: Akihabara, Jimbocho, Ochanomizu, Tokyo Station, Otemachi and Kagurazaka

The center was several days of my twelve days alone in Tokyo. Each morning I picked a direction, took the metro out there, and walked.

Where I walked: Akihabara and Kanda; Jimbocho and Ochanomizu; Tokyo Station, Yaesu and Nihonbashi; Otemachi and Marunouchi; Kagurazaka.

Akihabara and Kanda

Akihabara is known for electronics, anime and maid cafés. In the morning, before the shops open, it is another city: delivery vans, shops open 24 hours, and office workers on their break.

Tokyo Camera, Taito 1-13-8, seven minutes on foot from Akihabara station. Used film cameras, medium format and vintage lenses, with a warranty. Tax free.

Book an anime and pop culture tour of Akihabara

A green building at a crossing
A green building at a crossing
A man cycling past a blue truck
A man cycling past a blue truck
A man in a suit sitting on the pavement
A man in a suit sitting on the pavement
A shop open 24 hours
A shop open 24 hours
A delivery in front of a 24 hour shop
A delivery in front of a 24 hour shop
The street in front of Tokyo Camera
The street in front of Tokyo Camera
Old cameras in the window of Tokyo Camera
Old cameras in the window of Tokyo Camera
The Tokyo Camera sign
The Tokyo Camera sign

Akihabara at night, in the rain

I came back at nightfall. Under the rain, with the clear umbrellas and the neon of the electronics stores, Akihabara looks like a film set.

A crowd under clear umbrellas
A crowd under clear umbrellas
Bic Camera at night
Bic Camera at night
A girl in a maid uniform under an umbrella
A girl in a maid uniform under an umbrella
A crossing in the rain
A crossing in the rain
A taxi on a wet street
A taxi on a wet street
People waiting at a crossing at night
People waiting at a crossing at night

Jimbocho, the booksellers' district

Jimbocho has around 170 second hand bookshops, about a third of all the second hand bookshops in Japan. The district grew up around the universities at the end of the 19th century. Bookshops put their shelves and boxes out on the pavement, and people browse in the street, even in the rain. Jimbocho station (Toei and Tokyo Metro) or Ochanomizu station (JR).

The bookshop I had photographed there on my first trip, the photo that went viral on Instagram, no longer exists.

Nankaido bookshop
Nankaido bookshop
Two people browsing books under umbrellas
Two people browsing books under umbrellas
A man with a white umbrella passing a bookshop
A man with a white umbrella passing a bookshop
A bookshop under a yellow awning
A bookshop under a yellow awning
Nagashima bookshop
Nagashima bookshop
A man under a clear umbrella
A man under a clear umbrella
A man under a black umbrella at a bookshop
A man under a black umbrella at a bookshop
Inside a bookshop
Inside a bookshop
Shelves of old books
Shelves of old books
Yaguchi bookshop
Yaguchi bookshop
A woman browsing at Yaguchi
A woman browsing at Yaguchi
A bookseller in a red jacket
A bookseller in a red jacket
Nakagawa bookshop
Nakagawa bookshop

Ochanomizu, the guitar street

A few minutes from Jimbocho, Meidai-dori climbs towards Ochanomizu station: one guitar shop after another, new and used, on several floors. Just behind, the Kanda river runs in a deep green trench, with the yellow Sobu line trains passing above.

A guitar shop
A guitar shop
Ishibashi Music
Ishibashi Music
Guitars in a window at night
Guitars in a window at night
A used guitar shop
A used guitar shop
A guitar shop with a red carpet
A guitar shop with a red carpet
An aisle of electric guitars
An aisle of electric guitars
The Kanda river and the trains
The Kanda river and the trains

Tokyo Station, Yaesu and Nihonbashi

Kirby Café PETIT, inside Tokyo Character Street, by the Yaesu north exit of Tokyo Station, just outside the JR gates. Takeaway sweets and goods. Every day, 10am to 8:30pm.

Kirby Café PETIT
Kirby Café PETIT
Matcha sweets on display
Matcha sweets on display
A chocolate dessert with strawberries
A chocolate dessert with strawberries

Otemachi and Marunouchi

The business district between Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace: towers, wide pavements, and the people who keep it running, the guards, the gardeners, the taxis.

A man on a scooter in front of the towers
A man on a scooter in front of the towers
A woman in a pink skirt
A woman in a pink skirt
A gardener at work
A gardener at work
A black taxi at a crossing
A black taxi at a crossing
A security guard
A security guard
A man under an umbrella by an office tower
A man under an umbrella by an office tower

Kagurazaka

Kagurazaka is called Tokyo's little Paris: French schools, French restaurants and bakeries, next to old ryotei and small stone paved alleys from the time of the geisha. Kagurazaka station (Tozai line), Iidabashi or Ushigome-Kagurazaka.

The Kagurazaka banner on the main street
The Kagurazaka banner on the main street
A woman under a parasol on the slope
A woman under a parasol on the slope
A traditional shop
A traditional shop
A narrow alley
A narrow alley
Stone stairs between houses
Stone stairs between houses
A red postbox and bus stop
A red postbox and bus stop
A coin laundry
A coin laundry
Kirin crates by a bicycle
Kirin crates by a bicycle
The Lahmen
The Lahmen
A delivery truck
A delivery truck
A man unloading crates
A man unloading crates
A woman walking her dogs in orange coats
A woman walking her dogs in orange coats
Lilies over a fence
Lilies over a fence
Plush toys in a shop window
Plush toys in a shop window

Tokyo center FAQ

Where to buy a used film camera in Tokyo?
In Akihabara, Tokyo Camera has used film cameras, medium format and vintage lenses.

How many bookshops are there in Jimbocho?
Around 170 second hand bookshops.

Why is Kagurazaka called little Paris?
Because of its French schools and restaurants, next to the old geisha alleys.

Read next

More from Japan:

Affiliate disclosure: some links in this article are affiliate links. If you buy or book through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. More

← All stories